


Overdue Date

by aw466



Category: New Dangan Ronpa V3: Everyone's New Semester of Killing
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Attempt at Humor, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-09
Updated: 2019-04-09
Packaged: 2020-01-07 09:02:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,694
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18407423
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aw466/pseuds/aw466
Summary: Shuichi gets stood up on his date, but he meets someone entirely else instead.





	Overdue Date

**Author's Note:**

> college au valentine's day fic that i totally forgot i had in my google drive ;') reviews are appreciated

The chirping of crickets accompanied Shuichi in the dark room, the only source of illumination being the faint light coming from the lamp desk. The light flickered as the batteries neared its’ end. A thick book laid on his desk, neon yellow stained lines of words on the opened pages. An ant climbed the edge of the book and Shuichi’s finger swiftly flicked the ant off the page. His strained eyes trained solely on the book in front of him, a highlighter gripped between his fingers. Shuichi’s hold on the pen tightened as the beginnings of a headache stirred in his head, clouding his mind with fuzz as his eyes threatened to fall shut.

  
“Hey, Shuichi!” The door creaked open as light shone into the room. The muscles in Shuichi’s head and neck tightened. Shuichi’s forehead fell on the book with a thump. “Not doing so well, huh?” The ceiling lights flickered and illuminated the room as Kaito approached behind him, his hand promptly placed on his shoulder. Shuichi shied the light away from his eyes with his hand as he lifted his head, the throbbing pain nestled in the back of his head. He leaned his head on his right cheek, eyes trailing over his roommate. “I can’t afford to fail this test, Kaito.”

  
“You’re getting yourself worked up over nothing,” Kaito’s distinctively large palm met his back with a loud smack, Shuichi almost choked on his spit. A toothy grin graced Kaito’s features, a contrast towards Shuichi’s gloomy face. “It’s just one paper, just relax.”

  
Shuichi propped himself up on his forearms, a sigh escaping his lips. “Easy for you to say, you’ve finished all your papers.”

  
“Well, it’s not my fault you wanted to take extra credit hours!” Shuichi’s frown deepened, “Oh, don’t look so down! You’ll do great! “Kaito’s hand came up to ruffle Shuichi’s hair, Shuichi’s shoulders started to relax at his comforting words. Kaito turned his back and leaned his weight on the table. “So, do you know what time it is?”

  
“Uh,” Shuichi eyed the digital clock on his study table, “12:05 am..?”

  
“Correct! You know what that means, right?”

  
“No..?”

  
“It’s Valentine’s Day, Shuichi!

  
“Oh.”

  
“Really, is that all you’re gonna say?”

  
“Well, I’m not seeing anyone so it doesn’t really make that much of a difference to me.” Shuichi had his nose far up into his revision books all week that the day completely slipped his mind. Last year, he bought chocolates for his friends, a tradition he picked up from Kaede, as a token of appreciation more than any kind of romantic gesture. It didn’t stop from Kaito from thinking that he was coming onto him, in which Shuichi promptly deny the allegations as Maki’s glare dug daggers on the back of his skull. The thought of facing Maki’s wrath almost sent a shudder in his spine, he could only hope that she would have some mercy on him. “Oh, are you and Maki going somewhere tomorrow? She just finished her last paper today, right? Don’t worry, I’ll make something up if the warden comes checking on us.”

  
“Thanks, but that’s besides the point!” Kaito’s voice rose, he cleared his throat as he flipped the thick book as it closed with a thump. Shuichi was about to protest but the words died in his throat when Kaito continued. “Shuichi.” His tone had a nervous flair in it, something Shuichi wasn’t familiar with how confidence naturally oozed from him. “You don’t have anything planned after your test, right?”  
“Yeah, is there something going on or…?” The worst thing that conjured up in his mind is that Kaito and Maki got into an argument, which isn’t really that far-fetched since they argue all the time. The last time the three of them got together, the couple got into a fight about which type of cheese is the superior one and demanded Shuichi to choose between the two. He had politely rejected both, with the excuse that he didn’t really like cheese, which earned a gasp from Kaito and a suspicious glare from Maki. A little white lie didn’t hurt anyone.

  
“Well, Maki and I actually set you up with someone, you know, on a date.”

  
_What._

  
“Don’t worry, we made sure that she’s no one suspicious!”

  
The sudden influx of information sent Shuichi’s head reeling quicker than any difficult math question could. His mouth parted slightly as words struggled to come out.

“I...uhh..”

  
“I knew I should’ve told you sooner,” Kaito chuckled at Shuichi’s face, color disappearing from his skin. “You look like you’ve just seen a ghost!”

  
“Kaito, you know I have a test tomorrow.”

  
“Yeah? At 8am, 1 hour.” Shuichi could only stare into Kaito’s face, his grin disappeared as a sigh escaped his lips. “Look, all you’ve been doing is cooping yourself up in this room, what’s the harm in meeting new people, yeah?” Kaito’s hand flew to the back pocket of his jeans, the phone in his palm flashed open as Kaito’s thumb tapped on the screen. “Besides, she’s really nice, and Maki personally knows her, and since when did she hang out with anyone else besides us anyway?” Kaito scooted closer to Shuichi, he faced the phone towards him. “Look, there she is. I’ve talked to her a couple of times and she’s fun to talk to, you should totally go for it, Shuichi.”

  
It was a picture of Maki, her face seemingly devoid of any emotion, the furrow of her eyebrows indicated that she might have been forced to have her picture taken. That’s definitely it, his lips curled into a small smile as his eyes trailed over to the other person next to her, who had her arm upward towards the camera. Her blonde bangs framed her cheeks, curls of hair fell past her shoulders elegantly. She smiled brightly, the edges of her eyes crinkled slightly, warm purple eyes peeking through.

  
“Ooh, you’re smiling! Did you fall in love already?”

  
“W-what? Of course not!” Shuichi’s mortified face lunged Kaito’s torso forward, howling with laughter. “Relax! I was just messing with you,” Kaito clutched the front of his stomach, his hand rubbed his eye as his laughter eventually came to a halt. He shot a reassuring grin towards Shuichi, “But the offer still stands, and honestly, what’s there to lose? Go out there and have fun!”

  
Shuichi knew in the deepest parts of his heart that he’d rather continue his hermit life than meet a stranger. What if he slipped up and say something completely stupid? Then, she’d tell Maki, which will eventually reach Kaito’s ears and suddenly, he’d have no roommate anymore. Or friends, for that matter. No more seeing the couple fighting over inane things. He’d be a total social recluse, and Shuichi really cherished his friends too much to let that happen.

  
On the contrary, they also went through the trouble of setting up all of this, even if he never asked for any of this.

  
“.... Alright.”

  
Kaito’s face lit up, and Shuichi wondered if his friends were just sorry for him or wanted him gone so they could get some alone time.

  
-  
The other customers in the restaurant lessened bit by bit the more Shuichi waited. His knee bounced under the table. He swung his other leg over it to calm it down. His golden eyes trailed over his wrist. The number one and ten sat next to one another, followed by a pair of zeros. He made sure to write down the correct address of the meet up. He couldn’t possibly have gotten the place wrong, since he had asked Kaito countless times to verify.

  
An echoed, ringing sound interrupted Shuichi’s thoughts. It cut the calm and chattering atmosphere of the restaurant, leaving the room silent, saved from a couple of whispers. Next to him was a waiter, his eyebrows were furrowed as he looked past Shuichi’s shoulder. He followed his gaze, pushing his chair back from under the table so he could get a better look to the source of attention. Broken glass glistened under the light, scattering on the damp carpet. His eyes trailed upwards to see someone’s back, the white shirt clung to his skin, droplets of water dropped from his purple plum hair. The room quickly returned to its’ ambient and laid back atmosphere.

  
“Excuse me, sir.” The same waiter greeted Shuichi, his arms crossed with a notepad between his fingers, his voice gentle and calm. “I’m so sorry to interrupt but we’re closing soon.” Plenty of tables were still occupied with customers, but Shuichi didn’t need to be told twice to understand the underlying meaning behind the waiter’s words. Shuichi wasted no more time and pushed the glass door, the chilling night air greeted him. He slipped his hands into his jacket pockets, goosebumps rising on his skin as he chased for warmth.

  
In a way, Shuichi had expected this outcome to play out in his life at one point. The reality of his situation has finally sinked in; that he was undeniably stood up. Shuichi let out a sigh as he pulled out his phone from one of his pockets. This was the last time he complied to any of Kaito’s favors.

  
As Shuichi’s thumb hovered over Kaito’s number, he staggered forward and almost lost his footing when he felt a sudden weight on his back. The heaviness went as quickly as it came, leaving a distinct damp spot in its wake. His face grimaced, the cold seeping onto his shirt. He craned his neck to see the culprit and he was met with the same purple-haired customer.

  
“It’s rude to kick a customer out you know!” The stranger stomped his foot, his hands tight in a fist on his sides, like a child would when things aren’t going their way. He moved past Shuichi, and plopped down on the bench. Shuichi didn’t know if he should be offended that he was ignored as if he were a ghost or he should be annoyed that he was offered no apology at all.

  
The purple-haired stranger furiously typed into his phone, his lower lip jutted out in a pout. Shuichi would’ve let his attention linger back to his phone if it weren’t for the slight shakiness in the other’s form. He would occasionally hear sniffles and it was clear to him that the stranger must’ve been cold. Shuichi slipped out of his coat and approached the busy man, hesitancy in his voice.

  
“Um,”

  
“What?” The stranger’s bitterness seeped into his tone as he tore his eyes away from his phone, a pointed stare glaring towards Shuichi.  
It was too late to back up now. Shuichi took a deep breath before he continued. “I can let you borrow my jacket, if you want?” He dangled the piece of clothing towards the other. “You look like you’re freezing.”

  
The stranger only squinted his eyes at the jacket in front of him as if it were a strange unknown object. He trailed his eyes back to Shuichi’s golden ones, Shuichi’s cheeks reddened the more the silence between them furthered. Either it was too cold, or Shuichi was starting to lose his nerve, he couldn’t tell. “Thanks, but no thanks. I don’t appreciate offers from randos.”

  
At this point, Shuichi had immediately regretted ever deciding to talk to the other, he should’ve just called Kaito and acted like he was never there. “No, I’m not anything like that! I’m not trying to do anything bad, I promise.” Shuichi cringed internally at the panic in his voice.

  
“Yeah, right.” The man leaned his back on the bench, his left arm dangled over the armrest with an unamused expression on his face. “What kind of guy would loiter around the hallway at night? Only human traffickers wou-”

  
A loud sneeze broke out from the stranger, startling both Shuichi and a stray cat that ran into the darkness shortly after, disappearing before they both knew it.  
“...Give me the coat.”

  
“Uh, alright.” The stranger practically grabbed the outerwear from Shuichi’s hands and let it hung on his shoulders. It enveloped his small frame, a fact Shuichi recently noticed as the stranger pulled his jacket even closer towards him, wrapping himself in an effort to chase warmth.

  
“You do realize that this is mine now, right? Everything I touch automatically belongs to none other than yours truly, Kokichi Ouma!”

  
“What?” Shuichi frowned in disbelief as Kokichi’s lips curled into a smug smile. The rapid change in his behaviour was akin to whiplash, it left Shuichi’s mind reeling, unsure if approaching the strange man was the correct approach. “You can’t just, steal something right before their owner’s eyes.”

  
“Sure you can! As long as you make a run for it!” Kokichi suddenly straightened his back and jolted the bench in effect. Shuichi’s eyes widened as he blurted out before he could stop himself. “Don’t-!” For a moment, Shuichi had no doubt in mind that Kokichi whisking away his jacket was very much a real possibility, considering how odd the other was acting.

  
The smirk that Kokichi held grew into a toothy grin, “Just kidding! Did I get ya? You should’ve seen the look on your face, your eyes were bulging out like crazy!” He slapped his knee as he laughed his heart out. Shuichi’s skin turned warm, his lips formed a thin line as the hands on his hips gripped the fabric underneath.

  
“Aw, don’t look so down!” Kokichi’s giggles had finally died out, fortunately for Shuichi. Kokichi tapped a finger on his lip, “Maybe if you told me your name, I’ll give you your jacket back? How’s that sound, hmm?” He cooed, as if he were cheering up a sulking child. To be precise, he acted more like a bully, condescendingly comforting him even as he kicked sand into his eyes. Shuichi let out a huff, but replied anyways, “It’s Shuichi Saihara.”

  
“Okay, Shuiiiiiichiiiiiiii,” The name rolled off of his tongue in a drawn out gesture, his voice an octave too higher much to Shuichi’s annoyance. “If you’re not here to steal my organs then why you’re here? A date stood you up?”

  
Kokichi hit the nail with that question, it brought Shuichi back to the predicament he landed himself into. He bowed his head down slightly, this thoughts thrown back into a frenzy.

  
“Wow, you look so gloomy it’s depressing.” Kokichi pat his back, or more accurately, slammed his palm right onto his back. Shuichi winced as a hiss of pain escaped between his gritted teeth. “On Valentines day too, that must’ve hurt!”

  
Shuichi couldn’t help as a trickle of annoyance seeped into his voice as he bite back, “Says the one who got water dumped onto him.” For a split second, Kokichi’s face was blank and devoid of any emotion. Guilt quickly replaced the irritation that he felt. He had definitely crossed a line that he shouldn’t. “Oh, so you saw that?” Kokichi sneered, his gaze sharp as he stared right into Shuichi’s eyes. Shuichi resisted the urge to dart his eyes away, forced himself to hold the eye contact for as long as he could. The breezy air made the tense atmosphere even colder, the silence threatening to break over when Shuichi opened his mouth.

  
A blaring honk yanked a high-pitched shriek out of Shuichi instead, and Kokichi’s expression quickly brightened into a wide grin. “Hey, boss!” An equally loud booming voice accompanied the honking, Shuichi’s palms immediately pressed against his ears. He turned his back towards the source of the sudden interruption. Kokichi cackled as Shuichi stood in disbelief, unsure of how to react.

  
“Welp, my ride’s here!” Kokichi stood up on his heels and ran right past Shuichi. “Hey! My coat!”

  
“I lied, I call dibs! Didn’t your parents ever taught you not to talk to strangers?” Kokichi n the bizarre situation he landed himself into. Kokichi leaned into the car with one foot on the sidewalk. He popped his head out and threw a ball of paper, the ball landed near Shuichi’s shoes. He looked quizzically at the piece of paper. “What…?”

  
“If you want it back, then you should call me!” Kokichi seated himself in the backseat of the car, speaking through the rolled down window. “Maybe I’ll answer, maybe I’ll not? Try it to find out!” The car revved up its engine obnoxiously loud, Shuichi’s ears strained to follow Kokichi’s voice. “See ya, Shuichi!” With a wave and a condescending smile, the window rolled upward as the car left dark smoke in its’ wake, disappearing into the blackness of the night. Shuichi coughed as his lungs unwillingly inhaled smoke, arm covering his nose to mask the suffocating smell.

  
The paper ball flew under the bench, and Shuichi bent down to grab it from flying away. Shuichi unwrapped the paper and it revealed a line of numbers written messily in purple, glittery ink. Shuichi’s had enough of today, he was forced to go on a date by his best friend, got stood up and now he got his jacket stolen by some weird guy he took pity on. He shoved the piece of paper in his pocket as his thumb swiftly typed ‘Kaito’ on the screen. He was too tired to think of anything, his mind went on autopilot so he could climb into the comfort of his bed and sleep.

  
When Kaito arrived with his beat up truck, Shuichi told him to ask him tomorrow, using his tiredness as an excuse. He dutifully kept his mouth shut, opting to hum to the tune of whatever pop song the radio played out. Shuichi gazed up the sky, stars shining brightly against the pitch black background. The back of his scalp leaned against the headrest, his eyelids drooped as Kaito’s humming served as white noise. He quickly slipped into unconsciousness soon after, leaving his worries in the back of his mind as he slept the entire ride.

  
A soft and familiar tune from Shuichi’s phone pierced his ears, dragging him back to consciousness. He peeked his eyes open, only to see darkness, saved from the blue light filtering through the curtains. The incessant music glued to his eardrums even as he pulled the covers of his bed over his head. With a grumble, he shifted his weight over his left shoulder, the mattress creaking in response. The song finally stopped after a few moments passed and Shuichi’s consciousness drifted away right along with it.

  
-  
By the time Shuichi came by, the white curtains shone bright under the rays of the sun. He pushed himself up and leaned his weight against the headboard, his arms stretched above his head as he let out a yawn. He scratched the back of his neck as his other hand reached for his phone. His hand hovered over the screen; 1 text message. Shuichi stared at the odd string of numbers in suspicion, someone must have accidentally called the wrong number.

  
Shuichi shifted his attention to the unread text messages. The moment he opened the application, his phone buzzed in life as it was bombarded by text messages from the former, his thumb tapped at the screen to confront the stranger.

  
horsek1ng: hellooo shuichiiii

  
horsek1ng: are u awaaaaake? :^)

  
horsek1ng: u’re definitely awake now, and no i was not waiting, i’m busy u know!

  
horsek1ng: and don’t block me, unless u want me to burn your precious jacket

  
horsek1ng: thanks for lending it btw, but unfortunately for u, it’s covered in snot now so i think it’s better if i do burn it lolololol

  
Shuichi cringed at the thought of his jacket being defiled as visions of plum-coloured hair and bright lavender eyes overtook his mind. He did met someone yesterday, didn’t he? It wasn’t his date, but it was someone completely different, and he didn’t know if that was a good thing or not. Shuichi paused for a moment before he continued.

  
shuichisaihara: is this kokichi?? how did you even get my number

  
shuichisaihara: why did you even bother giving me your number

  
horsek1ng: i was tired of waiting lol

  
horsek1ng: and that’s for u to figure out

  
How was Shuichi supposed to react to this? Why was this Kokichi person even bothering messing with him, was it revenge or simply out of boredom? Whatever it was, Shuichi had already made up his mind.

  
shuichisaihara: uh you can keep the jacket

  
shuichisaihara: if you want

  
Maybe this will stop him, Shuichi waited for the next message to pop up. He really liked his jacket, but it wasn’t something he would freak out about losing. He’d just buy a new one, it would be fine.

  
horsek1ng: no way, i don’t want it

  
horsek1ng: did you actually thought i made a mess out of your jacket lol?

  
Shuichi didn’t hesitate as his thumbs typed down the answer.

  
shuichisaihara: yes

  
horsek1ng: u’re pretty rude u know

  
horsek1ng: i like it!

  
Heat radiated in his cheeks, his right hand cupped his mouth. Was he really getting flustered over this guy? If Shuichi didn’t know any better, he would’ve thought that he was being hit on. Shuichi cleared his throat and shook the thought away when another message came from Kokichi.

  
horsek1ng: don’t u think u should make up to me for being so mean?

  
orsek1ng: after i’ve carefully hand-washed ur jacket, this is the thanks i get? :(

  
Shuichi’s lips twitched into a small smile. He was oddly enjoying… whatever this was, despite the unfortunate circumstances that led to them to meet.

  
shuichisaihara: haha i find that hard to believe actually

  
horsek1ng: :(

  
horsek1ng: hey you should treat me and i’ll give u ur jacket back

  
horsek1ng: how’s that sound hmm ?

  
shuichisaihara: are you trying to ask me out on a date? valentine’s day already passed

  
horsek1ng: what, do dates only happen on valentine’s day??

  
horsek1ng: so what’ll it be? no worries, i’m very good company!

  
shuichisaihara: …sure

  
horsek1ng: great! tomorrow 5pm, see ya then! don’t be late!!

  
horsek1ng is offline

  
Shuichi didn’t know what to expect out of tomorrow, but what he does know that he needed sleep. He let his head fall on his pillow, sleep quickly overtaking him.


End file.
